Nothing will replicate the camaraderie among friends while watching a live sporting. Passion, tension and all other emotions run wild. In a group dynamic a bond exists that is difficult to express. And yet it is there. Undeniably present and unshakable.

In a recent build up to the UEFA Championship game, Heineken sought to remove watching the match in isolation, which they stated happened 70% of the time. They rigged seats in an open park with motion sensors. With height or a body in the seat, a portion of the screen was lit up. All seats need to be filled in order to view the full screen.

Besides sports, the next best option to bring people together: you guessed it: BEER.

Injuries occur in sports. The game of rugby provides some vicious collision including those that break or jaw loose a tooth. The Salta beer brand continues to build on their Rugby sponsorship platform. In a head scratching ad, players with missing teeth receive a non normal tooth implant. The replacement tooth is actually bottle opener.

Besides given players back a full smile, Salta gave players a “viral” way to open beer bottles. Surely recipients of a bottle opened using a tooth will never forget the moment.

In the sports apparel business, Under Armour had used the tag line “Protect This House.” Building on the theme, Heineken has created a device that ensures guests coming over to your house enter with the correct beer. Below is the Door lock, a connected lock that opens when reading a particular beer label. This clever idea is shown to help reinforce the partnership/sponsorship between Heineken and UEFA Champions League. In addition the door lock should help promote the social side of beer.

Ideas for other beer brands to possibly take advantage of:

1) Access into VIP suites or seating areas in stadiums where their are partnerships/sponsorship

2) Access granted for meet and greets with celebrities, athletes or even trophy’s

The end goal of all marketing & advertising would be to sell more and this Heineken Door lock has a small chance to accomplish that. The largest upside is its worth in social media sharing, brand reinforcement and overall buzz for Heineken. Now a days, if the content is not shared via social media channels it’s like it never happened.

With the Holidays upon us, Budweiser has been in the news with their recent marketing “Noise” of needing to reach millennials and potential usage declines of the iconic Budweiser Clydesdales in its messaging. The brand has turned back the clock on its packaging and returned to the retro look. In a special release, they have packaged beer and glassware in a wooden crate for the holidays. In 2015, Budweiser is said to target more food led event/occasions.

With friends celebrating friendships & stories at parties or bars, the extremely popular ride sharing services Uber and Lyft are primed for high demand. To the surprise of some recent users, Budweiser teamed up with Lyft to give passengers the ride home of a life time: On the Budweiser Clydesdale hitch.

It is said marketing campaigns these days are the experiences a brand can deliver. The surprised millennials encountered the icon Clydesdales in a relevant way. Icon brands always find a way to reinvent themselves and stay true to their roots.

As sports sponsorships evolve, so will their creative activations. Logo rights are no longer the main focus, but it is how you bring your brand to life around your sponsorship. Heineken’s public “Umpire Chair Silence Challenge” strengthens its partnership with the US OPEN. The brand comes alive by highlighting and creating an experience to “Silence” a crowd. It is a unique aspect of the sport which few master. In their marketing stunt, the reward for success is tickets to the US OPEN.

Brands are extensions and should be touched, experienced, felt and consumed by fans. Those brands such as Heineken who form bonds and lasting memories will capture share of throat.

With the momentum of the NHL playoffs, Budweiser Canada released a timely viral video that should hit home with hockey enthusiasts.

Building on their successful red light helmet concept along with their guerrilla marketing red light blimp for team Canada during the winter Olympics, the brand once again is making a relevant connection with hockey fans in Canada. Hockey is a cultural passion like Futbol is in Brazil and MLB is in the USA. At early ages, kids live out their dreams, reenact their favorite moments and most of all, develop their skills. These are done not on traditional fields, but the streets they live on.

A street in Canada was named by is residents “Hockey Street.” The Budweiser brand helped give the street the recognition it deserved and demonstrated the brands promise and commitment to hockey – even without an expensive league sponsorship.

Sports teams are always reaching out to partners for help with giveaway items. Most notably are rally towels and shirts. For the brands, they simply gain exposure with their logo pressed onto the collateral. It is a pretty basic and not a whole lot of value.

Budweiser went the extra mile with their Red Light Helmet activation at a recent Calgary Flames NHL game. After watching the video below, you can tell Budweiser enhanced a triumphant moment with fans and celebrated a bonding experience that was important to them, their home team scoring a goal. Their passion was worn on their faces and heads. With the help of the Budweiser Red Light Helmet, the brand was able to break through the cluster of ordinary and customary team giveaways.